Jostein Gaarder Books

Twelve-year-old Hans Thomas lives alone with his father, a man who likes to give his son lessons about life and has a penchant for philosophy. Hans Thomas' mother left when he was four (to `find' herself) and the story begins when father and son set off on a trip to Greece, where she now lives, to try to persuade her to come home. En route, in Switzerland, Hans Thomas is given a magnifying glass by a dwarf at a petrol station, and the next day he finds a tiny book in his bread roll which can only be read with a magnifying glass. How did the book come to be there? Why does the dwarf keep showing up? It is all very perplexing and Hans Thomas has enough to cope with, with the daunting prospect of seeing his mother. Now his journey has turned into an encounter with the unfathomable...or does it all have a logical explanation?

Bestselling philosophy book is reimagined for the first time as a graphic novel One day, young Sophie finds a letter addressed to her that contains only one question: "Who are you?" Then there's another one asking, "Where does the world come from?" The sender of these letters remains a mystery, but the questions intrigue Sophie. This is the beginning of a strange correspondence that will lead the young girl on a coming-of-age quest to meet major figures of philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Hegel, Sartre, etc.). In the first volume, Sophie begins by questioning the philosophers of Antiquity and goes all the way to those of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. This is the first of two volumes. In the second volume, she discovers metaphysical doubt while continuing on her way to modern times. This comic book adaptation of Jostein Gaarder's original book breathes new life into a cult classic.

Conversations about life and death, between a girl and an angel. As Cecelia lies ill in bed, and her family valiantly make their Christmas preparations in the knowledge that she is not going to get better, an angel steps through her window. The death os a teenage girl from cancer is, in Gardner's hands, an occasion to reflect on the meaning of life and to celebrate it.It is the springboard for a spirited and thoroughly engaging series of conversations between Cecelia and her angel, who likes to sit around and chat. As Cecelia thinks about her own experiences and prepares herself for dying, we see subtle changes in her and her relationships with her family. No one could fail to be moved by the ending, when the angel takes her by the hand and they fly away together. Jostein Gaarder is a profoundly optimistic writer who approaches the subject of death and loss with wisdom, compassion and the open minded and enquiring spirit that characterises all his work. This is a book that will bring comfort to the bereaved: but more than that, it continues the wonderful exploration of universal ideas that made SOPHIE'S WORLD great.

The graphic novel adaptation delves into the evolution of philosophical thought from Descartes to contemporary ideas, maintaining the engaging narrative style of Jostein Gaarder's original work. With Vincent Zabus's writing and Nicoby's artistic interpretation, it presents complex concepts in an accessible and visually appealing format, making philosophy approachable for a wider audience. This volume continues to explore key thinkers and their contributions, inviting readers to reflect on profound questions about existence and knowledge.

When 14-year-old Sophie encounters a mysterious mentor who introduces her to philosophy, mysteries deepen in her own life. Why does she keep getting postcards addressed to another girl? Who is the other girl? And who, for that matter, is Sophie herself? To solve the riddle, she uses her new knowledge of philosophy, but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined. A phenomenal worldwide bestseller, SOPHIE'S WORLD sets out to draw teenagers into the world of Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel and all the great philosophers. A brilliantly original and fascinating story with many twists and turns, it raises profound questions about the meaning of life and the origin of the universe.

'My father died eleven years ago. I was only four then. I never thought I'd hear from him again, but now we're writing a book together' To Georg Røed, his father is no more than a shadow, a distant memory. But then one day his grandmother discovers some pages stuffed into the lining of an old red pushchair. The pages are a letter to Georg, written just before his father died, and a story, 'The Orange Girl'. But 'The Orange Girl' is no ordinary story - it is a riddle from the past and centres around an incident in his father's youth. One day he boarded a tram and was captivated by a beautiful girl standing in the aisle, clutching a huge paper bag of luscious-looking oranges. Suddenly the tram gave a jolt and he stumbled forward, sending the oranges flying in all directions. The girl simply hopped off the tram leaving Georg's father with arms full of oranges. Now, from beyond the grave, he is asking his son to help him finally solve the puzzle of her identity.

Panina Manina, a trapeze artist, falls and breaks her neck. As the ringmaster bends over her, he notices an amulet of amber around her neck, the same trinket he had given his own lost child, who was swept away in a torrent some sixteen years earlier. This tale is narrated by Petter, a precocious child and fantasist, and perhaps Jostein Gaarder's most intriguing character since Sophie. As an adult, Petter makes his living selling stories and ideas to professionals suffering from writers block. But as Petter sits spinning his tales, he finds himself in a trap of his own making.

Fifty years ago a girl disappeared from her home in Norway. She ran after a lamb and found herself travelling right across Europe to Palestine, and back through 2000 years to meet the Holy Family in Bethlehem. There she met angels, shepherds, wise men and other biblical characters who joined her on her pilgrimage; and she heard of many of the things that happened in the world in the last 2000 years. In present-day Norway, a boy acquires a strange old Advent calendar. Hidden in each of the windows is a tiny piece of paper. Little by little these pieces unfold the girl's story and as we learn what happened to her, another story is revealed - that of the strange old man who made the calender.

A box of Latin manuscripts comes to light in an Argentine flea market. An apocryphal invention by some 17th or 18th century scholar, or a transcript of what it appears to be - a hitherto unheard of letter to St. Augustine from a woman he renounced for chastity? Vita Brevis is both an entrancing human document and a fascinating insight into the life and philosophy of St. Augustine. Gaarder's interpretation of Floria's letter is as playful, inventive and questioning as Sophie's World .

While waiting for the birth of his baby brother, Joe is visited by a strange child from another planet, and the two discover that they, and their planets, share many similarities as well as differences.